Main line rail industry news – Page 981
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NewsNew York must make every dollar count
USA: Cutting costs and improving customer service are the top priorities for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, according to recently-appointed Chairman Jay Walder. On January 15 he issued a report entitled ‘Making Every Dollar Count’, summing up his first 100 days in office which had been spent assessing the business ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market January 2010
Argentina: 50 grain wagons are being refurbished for Belgrano Cargas by the workshops at Tafí Viejo in the province of Tucumán, which have been restored to operating condition by the federal government. Brazil: GE Transportation South America’s plant in Contagem was due to supply América Latina Logística with 10 ...
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NewsWorld infrastructure market January 2010
Austria: Wiener Linien has awarded Siemens Mobility a €25m contract to supply automatic train control equipment for extensions to the Wien metro. Line U2 is being extended 9·5 km to Aspern Seestadt by the end of 2013. U1 will be extended 4·7 km to Rothneusiedl by 2015. China: Siemens and ...
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NewsContracts January 2010
Europe: Eurotunnel has selected Alcatel-Lucent to install GSM-R equipment throughout the Channel Tunnel operator’s rail network. France: SNCF is to use JDA’s price-sensitive revenue management software to set fares for iDTGV services. Italy: Trenitalia has awarded Compagnie des Wagons-Lits and Wasteels a two-year contract to provide customer services and ...
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NewsPresident Chávez opens three stations on Caracas metro
VENEZUELA: President Chávez opened three new stations on Caracas metro Line 3, at Los Jardines, Coche and Mercado, on January 9.The Line 3 extension between El Valle and Rinconada entered service in October 2006 to provide an interchange to the Tuy Medio suburban line at La Rinconada, and remained operational ...
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NewsBoston commuter rail operating contract extended
USA: MBTA has awarded Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co a two-year extension of its contract to operate and maintain the Boston commuter rail network. MBCR has promised to make further service improvements on the 750 km network. On-time performance is still more than five points below MBTA’s target of 95%. ...
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NewsCzech firm to build Maxima locos under licence
CZECH REPUBLIC: Wagon manufacturer LOSTR has signed an agreement to produce Voith Turbo’s Maxima diesel-hydraulic locomotives under licence. The exclusive agreement signed on January 12 covers the central and eastern European markets excluding the former USSR. Voith will supply engines, transmissions and switch cabinets, while LOSTR will ...
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NewsAngel becomes Alpha
EUROPE: Train leasing firm Angel Trains International was renamed Alpha Trains with effect from January 1, reflecting the separation of the UK and Continental businesses of the former Angel Trains Group. Angel Trains was one of three rolling stock leasing companies formed in 1994 as part of the privatisation of ...
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NewsMitsubishi aims to grow rail business 50%
JAPAN: A strategy to double international business and generate a 50% overall increase in rail sector sales from ¥150bn at present to ¥230bn in the year ending March 2016 was announced by Mitsubishi Electric Corp on January 8. The development of energy saving products including more efficient inverters, air-conditioning and ...
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NewsSignalling trial takes Ansaldo STS into Russian market
RUSSIA: Ansaldo STS is to undertake a 2½ year trial of ERTMS-derived ITARUS-ATC signalling equipment in Sochi under a €7·4m contract awarded by the NIIAS subsidiary of Russian Railways which came into force on December 29. Ansaldo STS parent company Finmeccanica and RZD announced plans to co-operate in the development ...
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NewsDB Schenker Rail acquires majority stake in NordCargo
ITALY: DB Schenker has become the second largest rail freight operator in Italy after increasing its stake in NordCargo srl to 60%, the German national railway's freight subsidiary announced on January 13. DB Schenker's existing Italian subsidiary is to be merged into NordCargo. Milano-based NordCargo has been active in the ...
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NewsSNCF orders next batch of Régiolis trains
FRANCE: SNCF has awarded Alstom Transport its first follow-on order for Coradia Polyvalent multiple-units under the framework agreement for up to 1 000 trainsets which the national railway signed in October on behalf of a consortium of regional authorities. The €130m order for a further 19 units was announced by ...
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NewsBrandenburg double-decker order signed
GERMANY: Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn GmbH has ordered 23 new trainsets from Stadler Pankow GmbH to operate regional services in Berlin-Brandenburg from the end of 2011. Including the first series build of double-deck EMUs for the German market, the €146m deal is described by Stadler as the largest order in the history ...
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NewsAGV begins Italian test programme
ITALY: Alstom's AGV demonstrator high speed trainset will begin a test programme in Italy on January 14, validating the Italian signalling and safety equipment required by launch customer NTV. The prototype AGV trainset is expected to cover more than 60 000 km by July, running initially on the Roma - ...
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NewsUS Center for High-Speed Rail launched
USA: The American Public Transportation Association has launched a Center for High-Speed Rail, aiming to 'advance and promote high-speed rail in the United States.' Announced on January 8, this will build on the work of APTA's existing High-Speed & Intercity Rail and Legislative committees. 'With the impending announcement by the ...
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NewsAdelaide electrification power study
AUSTRALIA: South Australia's Department for Transport, Energy & Infrastructure has appointed Enotrac to assess the plans for the Adelaide rail electrification project. Enotrac will review the proposed designs for the 25 kV booster transformer electrification scheme, covering loading, power quality and EMC studies. The electrification of most of Adelaide's ...
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NewsMore metros open in Guangzhou and Shanghai
CHINA: The end of December has always been a popular time for metro inaugurations in China and December 2009 was no exception. Guangzhou metro Line 5 and a short extension of Line 4 opened for revenue service on December 29, following an official ceremony the previous day, increasing the city’s ...
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NewsCitadis Dualis delivered to Nantes
FRANCE: A Citadis Dualis tram-train left Alstom's Valenciennes site on January 4 destined for Nantes in the Loire region, where it will undergo extensive tests. A shuttle service between Nantes and Clisson is expected to start in September. The tram-train had previously carried out initial test runs on the RFF ...
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NewsGraz's customised tram handed over
AUSTRIA: Stadler Pankow formally handed over the first of 45 Variobahn trams for Graz city transport operator GVB in December. The 27·4 m long and 2 300 mm wide five-section car has a 'bright and friendly interior', with 47 seats plus space for 98 standees and two multi-purpose areas for ...
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NewsSugar firm orders 50 GE locomotives
BRAZIL: Sugar and ethanol producer Cosan has signed an order for 50 AC44i diesel-electric locomotives, GE Transportation announced on January 7. They will be used by Cosan's logistics subsidiary Rumo to haul sugar from processing plants to the Port of Santos using América Latina Logistíca's rail network. Deliveries will start ...